Awards

Item Posted: Wednesday 22nd August, 2007

AWARDS

We have recently been in the running for two other awards, after our success at the BBC/ Hands up for Trad Awards. We were ‘Highly Commended’ in the Scottish Council for Voluntary Association Awards run by their newspaper Third Force News, and were short listed as the Best Arts Project in the UK by the National Lottery.

The Lottery Awards shortlist was culled by judges from 640 projects around the country, so to have even by included in that list was a great boost to ouir project and a recognition of the amount of work that has gone into it. The next round – to get into the finals- was by public vote. We picked up lots of votes! Although the Lottery would not give us exact numbers they did say it was a ‘close run thing.’
SO A BIG THANK YOU TO ANYONE WHO VOTED, and also to the number of web sites and papers who publicised the Awards.

This article appeared in various forms in a number of papers:

NATIONAL LOTTERY AWARDS
The only short listed group in Argyll and Bute - Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop -would like your support and vote. The Workshop has been short listed in the Best Arts Category for this year’s National Lottery Awards. Out of 640 nominations, the judges have picked ten Arts projects from around the UK for the public to vote on.
The Workshop, only established in 2002, raises money for regular traditional fiddle tuition in local primary schools in Lochgoilhead, Strachur, Kilmodan and Tighnabruaich as well as Dunoon Grammar, and also puts on free schools concerts and come and try sessions. They also subsidise classes for adults and children at three local community venues.
What has given them a wider impact in local communities than most clubs is that they have arranged regular concerts of top quality (and often internationally known) musicians to play in local venues including Cairndow, Glendaruel, Strone, Strachur, Portsonnachan, Ardrishaig and Loch Goil. These concerts have often been sellouts, and have clearly established that there is a need, and a demand, for more good quality live music in the area.
Another strand of their work has been to establish a local Fèis. A weekend for youngsters earlier this year was put on in conjunction with the local outdoor centre, and 30 children had the time of their lives. From what the children said, they loved the mix of fiddle, clarsach, accordion, highland pipes, Gaelic song, step dance and general Gaelic mayhem -and they were wildly enthusiastic about the outdoor pursuits.
The Workshop brought Cowal into national prominence on the traditional music scene when they scooped the Best Community Project in the BBC/Hands Up for Trad Awards, and were recently ‘Highly Commended’, taking second place, in the TFN Annual Charity Awards in their Community Action sector.
The National; Lottery Awards began in 2004 as part of the 10th Birthday celebrations for the National Lottery to celebrate and recognise the difference that these projects have made to people, places and communities all across the UK. They have proved such a success that they are now an annual feature of the National Lottery good causes calendar. Each year hundreds of entries are received from a wide range of charities, community and voluntary projects, as well as dedicated individuals who all have a unique story to tell. Last year over 100,000 public votes were received which has shown there is great support and pride for local projects.
More information about the Workshop can be found at www.fiddleworkshop.co.uk , and you can vote at http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards/category/7 or by phone to 0845 386 8058 (calls cost no more than 1.5p!). Every vote counts, so please help a local group by spending a minute and a penny!